Exploring a Sufi Tradition of Islamic Teaching: Educational and Cultural Values Among the Sy Tijaniyya of Tivaouane (Senegal)

The author examines the philosophy and practice of Muslim education in the tradition of the Sy family of Tivaouane (Senegal). The focus is on formal educational institutions such as the dahira, or Sufi circles of worship, and the daara, Kur'anic school, which play a major role in the system of education pioneered by the Sy branch of the Tijaniyya. He also examines a third institution, khalifa, or spiritual authority, which continues to play a central role in the Muslim brotherhoods as transmitter of the teachings of the Shaykh. The author shows how these three institutions work together and constantly reshape Sy Tijaniyya (Syeen si in Wolof), how changes in Senegalese society influence and transform the branch, and how the continuous development of neo-Sufi organizations increases the importance of Tijaniyya in a globalized world.